For Japanese, Flag and Anthem Sometimes Divide

By STEVEN R. WEISMAN, Special to The New York Times

Published: April 29, 1990

TOKYO, April 28—
Graduation ceremonies at an elementary school were delayed the other day when a father ripped down the Japanese flag and hid it inside his clothes. Many other schools throughout the country refused to display the flag in the first place.

These and other incidents cast a shadow over what is supposed to be an uplifting time in the nation's schools. The protests arose when the Government required that the national flag, featuring a red sun on a white field, be displayed at all such ceremonies and that the national anthem be sung in praise of the Emperor.

Opinion surveys show that most Japanese favor displaying the flag and singing the anthem at official functions, but that they dislike coercion. Thus, many are watching to see whether the Government will punish the principals, teachers and students who recently defied its directive.

Undercurrent of Objections

The Asahi newspaper, for example, expressed ''our sense of misgiving and concern over schools being used as a loyalty test of sorts'' and urged Government authorities ''to take a second look at the fact that a large number of Japanese are indeed worried'' about its requirement.

On the surface, the long-running controversy over the Japanese flag and anthem may resemble the sharp disagreements in the United States over requirements to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and the Supreme Court's ban on prohibitions against desecration of the flag.

But the debate in Japan runs far deeper. Because both the flag and the anthem accompanied the brutal militarism of the first half of this century, some feel that reviving them as symbols would be like reviving the goose step and the raised-arm salute of the Nazis.

Many objections center on the anthem known as ''Kimigayo,'' which extolls the reign of the Japanese Emperor, in whose name Japanese troops marched across Asia.

Banned During Occupation

Both the flag and the anthem were banned by Gen. Douglas A. MacArthur, Supreme Commander and administrator of Japan after the war. They have never been officially reinstated but have come to be adopted as state symbols.

In recent years, Japanese leaders have expressed alarm at what they feel has been a deterioration of traditional values and lack of appreciation of Japanese heritage among children.

Accordingly, two years ago, the Education Ministry and the governing Liberal Democratic Party endorsed major changes in school curriculums, including restoration of the reputation of historical figures regarded by many in Japan, and by other Asian countries, as oppressors.

The ministry has designated the flag and anthem as national symbols since 1977, but objections have focused on the fact that no law to this effect has ever been enacted by Parliament.

Officially, the ministry's directive on the flag and anthem is to be phased in over the next three years. But the ministry informed schools that it ''would be desirable'' to start at the beginning of this month, hinting at punitive action if schools failed to heed the advice.

News organizations found that most schools heeded the warning. The Education Ministry, at the same time, was reportedly not prepared to engage in widespread arrests or censuring of school authorities that ignored it.

Last Tuesday, the ministry announced that it would conduct a nationwide survey and make the results known some time this summer.

A spokesman said the Government would not punish anyone but would use the findings as ''a reference for future guidance.'' An official telephone survey last year showed that 90 percent of Japanese schools displayed the flag and 50 percent sang the song.

Teachers have led the opposition to the Government's directive on national symbols, echoing the criticism of China, South Korea and other Asian countries that Japanese textbooks have been whitewashed of references to past Japanese aggression.

Photo: Some Japanese leaders have expressed alarm at the deterioration of traditional values among children, and the Government now requires that the national flag, featuring a red sun on a white field, be displayed at all ceremonies, like this entrance exercise for first-year pupils at a public school in Tokyo. (The New York Times/Steven R. Weisman)